Albendazole

Cimetidine has been reported to increase the plasma levels of the albendazole active metabolite.

Dexamethasone has been reported to increase the plasma levels of the albendazole active metabolite.

Praziquantel has been reported to increase the plasma levels of the albendazole active metabolite.

Albendazole is contraindicated during pregnancy, and for one month prior to conception. In order to avoid administering albendazole during early pregnancy, women of child bearing age should initiate treatment only after a negative pregnancy test. These tests should be repeated before initiating the next cycle.

The use of albendazole in human pregnancy has not been studied, but in animal studies it is teratogenic in more than one species. In animal studies oral treatment with maternotoxic doses of albendazole (30mg/kg/day) during the period of organogenesis was associated with multiple malformations in rats and ectrodactyly in rabbits. In one study in rats, an oral dose (10mg/kg/day) similar to the human therapeutic dose was not maternotoxic, but was associated with microphthalmia and microfetalis. The latter occurred alone and together with multiple malformations including cranioschisis, talipes and renal agenesis. There is no information on the possible effects of albendazole on the human foetus.

It is not known if albendazole or its metabolites are secreted in human breast milk.

Therefore breast feeding should be discontinued during and for at least one month after treatment.

No evidence of carcinogenic activity was observed in mice given albendazole in the diet at doses up to 400mg/kg/day for 25 months. In rats, dietary administration of doses of 3.5, 7 and 20mg/kg/day did not affect the total incidence of adrenocortical tumours (adenoma albendazole tablets Issue 3 (M) 4 plus carcinoma), however, in females there was an increased incidence of adrenocortical carcinomas. Mutagenicity tests with bacterial cells and an assay of chromosomal damage in vivo have shown no clear evidence that albendazole has genotoxic activity. A cell transformation assay showed a slight dose-related increase in the transformation rate of cultured mouse cells in the presence of metabolic activation.